Published Jan. 22, 2010<\/SPAN> For nearly 2 1\/2 hours Thursday night, more than 275 people at Columbia Basin College’s Follow Your Dreams banquet were in a time warp.<\/P> Former coaches and players returned to the Pasco campus to share their stories and talk about the importance CBC athletics played in their lives at the annual event that has become a hugely successful fundraiser for the Hawks athletic department.<\/P> The banquet, now in its fourth year, raised more than $25,000, with the money going toward facility upgrades and scholarships. The event has generated nearly $100,000 since it was started in 2007 by associate athletic director and assistant baseball coach Jeremy Beard.<\/P> “I think it went really well,” Beard said. “The people have been really generous with their donations.”<\/P> CBC athletic director Scott Rogers estimates the money raised from the banquet provides 25 scholarships per year to student-athletes.<\/P> The event has also been instrumental in the construction of the new multipurpose facility between the soccer, baseball and softball fields. The building, which is expected to be completed in April, will house locker rooms, coaches offices, a concession stand and restrooms.<\/P> “Did I mention it was going to have restrooms?” Rogers joked. Restrooms have been nonexistent on the outdoor playing fields.<\/P> The night belonged to guest speaker Byron Beck and the four newest members of CBC’s Wall of Fame: Dr. Dale Gier, Ray Washburn, Ed Maxwell and Jim Rodgers.<\/P> Each one took their turn recalling their time at CBC and their fondest memories of the college.<\/P> “It was a stepping stone for fulfilling my dreams,” said Beck, who went on to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA.<\/P> Rogers also narrated a slide show, showing some of the success of the athletic program over the past 10 years, listing the 69 different four-year schools that CBC athletes have continued their playing careers at during that time.<\/P> A lot of that success stems from the groundwork put forth by the four inductees into this year’s Wall of Fame.<\/P> “It’s great to hear their stories,” Beard said. “They mean so much to CBC and its success.”<\/P>
By Ben Reynolds, Tri-City Herald staff writer<\/P>